Hay knife



May 7, 1929. v w. H. BERTRAM HAY KNIFE Filed April 25, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet W Hv P1 BT11 am May 7, 1929. w. H. BERTRAM 8- HAY KNIFE I Filed April 25, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 glwuemtoz WI-LE E rtr am Patented May 7, 1929.

onirso STATES WILLIAM H. BERTRAM, OF PAYETTE, IDAHO.

HAY KNIFE.

Application filed Ap ri1'25, 1928. Serial No. 272,837.

further object being to provide means whereby as the knife is drawn upwardly it will be fed forward so as to progress across the stack. Another object of the invention is to provide simple means whereby the knife and its carrier will be prevented from moving backwardly during the cutting operation, and a further object of the invention is to provide means whereby the devlce may be held down to the stack as the cutting progresses without requiring removal or shifting of .the anchoring means. The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings and will be hereinafter fully set forth.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the knife and the parts cooperating therewith in position upon a stack; I

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view;

Fig. 4: is a detail view of one of the anchoring devices, and

Fig. 5 is a detail section on the line 55 of Fig. 1.

In carrying out the invention, there is provided a stockor base member 1' which may be a bar of wood or other material, preferably rectangular in cross section. This stock is provided with transverse notches 2 in its upper edge and upon its sides is provided with longitudinal guiding ribs 3. -At intermediate points in the length of the stock, spikes 4t aresecured in the bottom of the same to penetrate the stack and thereby hold the stock against endwise movement, and in order to hold the stock down upon the hay stack, anchoring devices are provided at each end of the stock, as

shown. 'These anchoring devices each consists of a stirrup 5 having a screw 6 fixed to and depending from its lower end, the

screw being adapted to penetrate the stack atthe side of the same and embed itself in the stack, will be understood upon reference to Fig. 1. A plurality of openings 7 are provided through the sides of the stirrup 5 and when the apparatus is first placed in position chains or cables 8 are engaged in the uppermost of said openings and carried overthe stock to engage some the notches in the upper edge thereof so as to anchor the stock in place and accommodate the curved formation of the top of the stack. As the stack is cut down, the chains may be adjusted so as to maintain their firm engagement with the stock and after the stack has been sufiiciently cut down the chains maybe removed and bolts or looking pins inserted through the openings 7 to pass over the stock, as will be understood. The stirrups are, of course, of suiiicient width to receive the stock or base member so that it will be firmly held in place.

There is also provided a slide or carrier 9 which is substantially inverted U-shape in cross section and is provided in the opposed faces of its side members with longitudinal grooves adapted to engage the guiding ribs 3, as will be understood upon reference to Fig. 2. This carrier is adapted to slide along the stock as the cutting of the hay progresses and, to hold it at any point upon the stock and prevent backward movement, a

locking pin or plunger 10 is mounted in the top of the slide to engage the notches in the stock and is held to the stock by a retractile forked, as indicated at 14, and within the fork is mounted an operating lever 15 which.

extends longitudinally of the apparatus and has one end pivotally attached to the upper end of the knife 16. Adjacent the fulcrum of the operating lever, a link 17 is pivoted thereto and depends therefrom at the side of the standard and tothe lower end of this link a push bar 18 is pivoted to extend downwardly and rearwardly to the stock and haveits lower endengaged in one of the notches 2 therein. Adjacent the lower end of the push bar, guiding fingers 19 are secured to the same to depend therefrom at the opposite sides of the stock and thereby prevent the push bar slipping laterally out of engagement with the stock. A retractile spring 20 is attached to the standard and to the link 17 above the lower end of the link and serves to hold the link toward the standard so that the push bar will always be in proper operative position. v

knife consists of curved blade hav ing its arcuate cutting edge preferably serrated, as shown at 21, and having its back edge recessed or otherwise formed, as indicated at 22, to be engaged by a guide roller 23 mounted upon a pintle 2a, which is fixed in the side of the carrier or slide at the forward end of the same, the roller being pro vided with an enlarged head overlapping the edge of the knife so as'to hold the knife to the slide and also resist the thrust thereof. At its upper end the knife is equipped with a stirrup or loop 25 which receives the end of the operating lever and is provided with a plurality of openings 26 whereby the pivotal connection of the lever with the knife may be adjusted for a longer or shorter cut. The upper end of the knife is curved away from the stack, as at 27, to avoid digging into the side of the stack on the upward movement of the knife. The lower end of the knife follows such a curve that the extremity of the knife will cut any hay which may be left by the initial upward and forward movement of the knife. It should be particularly noted that the braces 13 are set inflush with the sides of the carrier and the roller 23. is countersunk relative to the knife so that, on the stack side, there are no projections beyond the plane of the knife to tear and waste the hay but a clean cut will be made. It will also be noted that the lever is provided with a plurality of openings, to receive the fulcrum pin whereby it may be adjusted upon the standard to obtain the proper leverage according to the density of the stack and the resistance offered thereby to the movement of the knife. The link 17 is also in a similar manner adjustablc relative to the lever.

The operation of the apparatus will, it is thought, be readily understood. \Vhen a cut is to be made through the hay stack, the stock or base bar is placed across the top of the stack and anchored thereto in the manner shown and described. The slide is located initially at the extreme right end of the stock so that the cutting edge of the knife will be presented to the side of the stack, the knife being in lowered position and the power end of the operating lever being raised. Power being then applied to the lever, the knife will be drawn upwardly and the link 17 will be swung downwardly, the push bar 18. being held against movement along the stock by the engagement of its lower end in the notch at the extremity of the stock. As the link 17 moves downwardly, the push bar will be rocked about its lower end as a fulcrum and, consequently, the slide will be caused to move forwardly along the stock as the knife is lifted, thus making a cut in the side of the stack. The plunger or latch pin 10, of course, rides over and engages the successive notches 2 as the slide moves forwardly and will hold the slide against backward movement as the knife is being lowered to make a second out. The knife having been thus raised to the limit of its movement, the power end of the lever is lifted so as to return the knife to its lowest position and this movement of the lever will tend to straighten the toggle de-- fined by the link 17 and the push bar 18, the spring 20 being thereby placed under tension and pulling the push bar toward the standard sothat it slips into engagement with another notch in the stock so that, when the knife is raised a second time, the slide will be again pushed forward. The forward movement of the slide and the upward movement of the knife being simultaneous the knife will be held to the stack and will, consequently, make a cut equal to the length of its cuttingsurface.

The apparatus is compact and easily opercuttings, the top of the stack will become level and in many instances the anchoring devices may then be dispensed with, the operator standing upon the stock and holding it down by his own weight. The use of the anchoring devices, however, is desirable and isv especially advantageous when the first cut is to. be made inasmuch as by the use of these elements the stock will be held against rocking upon the stack.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

1, An apparatus for the purpose set forth comprising a stock, means for anchoring the stock upon a hay stack, a knife, and means mounted upon the stock for vertically reciprocating the knife and feeding it along the stock during itsreciprocation.

2. An apparatus for the purpose set forth comprising a stock, means for anchoring the stock upon a hay'stack, a slide fitted on the stock, a knife mounted at the forward end of the slide, and means carried by the slide for vertically reciprocating the knife and acting upon the stock to feed the slide forward along the same as the knife is reciprocated.

8. Apparatus for the purpose set forth cormgrlsing a stock, spikes depending from the stock between the ends thereof to engage a hay stack and prevent endwise movement of the stock, anchoring devices engaged with the ends of the stock to hold it to the stack, a knife, and means mounted on the stock for vertically reciprocating the knife and feeding it longitudinally of the stock.

4-. Apparatus for the purpose set forth comprising a stock, anchoring devices comprising screws adapted' to, penetrate a hay stack and stirrups carried by the upper ends of said screws, means for connecting the stock with the stirrups, a knife, and means mounted on the stock for vertically reciprocating the knife and feeding the knife along the stock.

5. Apparatus for the purpose set forth comprising a stock, means for securing the stock upon a hay stack, a slide fitted on the stock and guided thereby, the stock having transverse notches in its upper side, a standard rising from the slide, a lever mounted upon the standard, a knife pivotally hung on the lever and extending past the front end of the slide to penetrate the stack, a push bar engageable in the notches in the stock, and a link connecting the push bar with the lever,

6. Apparatus for the purpose set forth comprising a stock, means for securing the stock upon a-hay stack, the stock having transverse notches in its upper side, a slide fitted 0n and guided by the stock, a latch pin carried by the slide and yieldahly engaging the notehes in the stock, a standard tur rising from the slide, a lever mounted upon the standard, a knife pivotally hung upon one end of the lever and depending therefrompast the front end of'the slide, alink pivoted to the lever and depending therefrom at the opposite side of the standard from the knife, a push bar pivoted to said link and engaging the notches in the stock, a retractile spring connected to the standard and the link, and means for preventing movement of the push bar laterally with respect to the stock.

7. Apparatus for the purpose set forth comprising a stock, means for securing the stock upon a hay stack, a slide mounted upon the stock, a knife disposed at the front end i of the slide, a roller mounted on the slide at the front end of the same and engaging the knife to receive the thrust thereof, and means for vertically reciprocating the knife and feeding the slide along the stock.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signa- WILLIAM H. BERTRAM. [11. s] 

